The Dark Days Club is written by Australian novelist Alison Goodman. Goodman wrote the acclaimed Eon / Eona fantasy duology (which I have not yet read but plan to), and teaches creative fiction courses to graduate students at the university level. The novel depicts a young English woman on the eve of her Court Presentation during the Regency Era of Britain (roughly from 1811 to 1820, depending on the historian you cite). Events become complicated when the young woman discovers that a maid has gone missing, and that a dear friend has been ruined in the eyes of Society.

Readers learn early on that Lady Helen Wrexhall comes with a tainted past, having been born to the notorious Countess Catherine Wrexhall, a noblewoman with a mysterious (and possibly treasonous) past prior to her death by drowning. Thus, Lady Helen is warned against being too similar to her mother; too unfeminine, for she is tall; and really, too anything. She lives with a proper aunt and a horrendous, abusive uncle, and wrestles with excess energy and boredom. Until she meets the infamous Lord Carlston and discovers that she is a Reclaimer, an individual with inherent abilities that allow her to remove the various types of Deceivers — essentially, demons — from human vessels and in doing so, reclaims human souls. The Reclaimers, and along with several allies, belong to The Dark Days Club — a group of determined demon hunters based in England.

I was not surprised to discover that Lady Catherine had also been Reclaimer, and that Lady Helen’s direct inheritance of these magical talents is a key plot point in the novel. Here are a few more details:

Pacing: The novel’s pace / timeline is superb. The story seems to unfold at a pace that is exactly right for this particular novel and these particular characters. Goodman allowed sufficient time for true character development throughout the novel, and then would juxtapose the story or character exposition with exciting action. As a result, an otherwise fantastical story has a unique ring of authenticity and a distinct sense of reality.

Prose: You can tell that Goodman is a creative writing professor by her prose. She practices what she preaches: Nary an adverb in sight, and each paragraph on every page feels like it had individual attention.

Research: The Dark Days Club is very well researched. Abundant historical references from the Regency Era were introduced to add pertinent details to the story, around which then Goodman centered important plot points. This resulted in an enhanced story, one that did not hit the reader over the head with the lengthy bits of research-laden exposition.

Magic, Religion & Cosmology: While demon hunter stories abound on today’s bookshelves, this novel’s take on demon hunters (set against a Regency backdrop) is fresh enough to warrant a second look. Furthermore, Goodman smartly ensures that Lady Helen has enough religion (an accurate and authentic experience of the young noblewomen of that time) to warrant sufficient inner turmoil about the existence of immortal souls and Deceivers and Reclaimers and alchemy.

I enjoyed The Dark Days Club. With so much to love about this novel, I felt that I had an embarrassment of riches to discuss in this review. The book was crafted through such deliberate, masterful decisions that I could relax and enjoy both the story and the craft without ever being jarred out of my suspension of disbelief. Escapism at its finest.

Excitement Level: #Awyiss

Disclaimer: I was not paid for this review. I checked this book out from the local library, and reviewed it on my own.